TMNT - New Girl in Town
by Ithilear
Summary: A closer look at Leonardo's first encounters with Karai, and how their relationship develops over time. Is she really as bad as she seems to want Leo to believe?
1. Introductions

**New Girl in Town - Chapter 1 - Introductions**

 **My first fanfic ever! Helpful advice/feedback both welcomed and appreciated. :)**

 **...**

"Fine, Raph. The team's yours. I'm outta here."

And with that, Leonardo stalked away from his brothers, gritting his teeth. He could feel their eyes following him, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to get away from Raphael. Raph had NO IDEA what it was like to lead. Living under that pressure, the knowledge that if your team succeeds, you all get to live to face the next fight, and if your team fails, it's _your_ fault. YOURS. _Your_ plans that work, or don't. _Your_ job to make sure everyone gets home in one piece, and, preferably, alive. And not just any teammates – your BROTHERS. Family. If anything happened to them, Leo was the one who'd get to stand before their master and father, and explain why. Leo shuddered, then grimaced, at that thought, of facing his Sensei with the crushing guilt and shame of failure. Leo looked up to Splinter more than any of the brothers, wanted to be like him; focused, wise, powerful, strong, and fearless. Deserving, and commanding, respect. _Like Captain Ryan_.

Leo paid no attention to where his feet were taking him. He wandered among the rooftops as the night thickened, his path straying as far as his thoughts. _Ugh, that…hot-tempered, ungrateful, smart-mouthed, know-it-all, Raph_ ….

He paced back and forth; kicked the rooftop. Leaned back against an AC unit. He could still picture Raph's face before him, hear his words: "And the award for worst leader goes to…" Leo glared at the memory, turned, and kicked the turbine vent. He may or may not have been wishing it was his pig-headed brother's face.

The blue-masked ninja leapt from building to building, lost in thought. If Raph knew what it was like, for just one week, or even one day – the pressure, the responsibility on his shoulders – maybe then he'd understand, and be more appreciative of Leo's position. Maybe letting Raph lead for now _would_ help him see. _Probably not_ , Leo thought with a curl of his lips. _After all, Raph's motto is 'Punch first, think second.'_

Leo rarely let his guard down. He did his best to maintain situational awareness at all times when he and his brothers were on patrol. Mikey might goof off, Donnie might be daydreaming of April or quantum physics (both were equally likely), and Raph might be grumbling about their leader's plans, but Leo didn't have that luxury. Even in the lair, he was the most focused and alert – and the hardest to sneak up on (much to Mickey's disappointment when he was trying to prank his big brother).

Tonight was different. Raph often picked fights with Leo, and all his brothers, but this time, he had _really_ gotten under Leo's skin. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten this angry. What he really needed was to punch something. HARD. Repeatedly. Blow off some steam.

Leo stopped at the edge of a rooftop, a large Boboco Cola billboard looming into the night sky behind him. Leo heard, and sensed, the presence of enemies at his back; his eyes cut to the left, but he never flinched. The surge of adrenaline that usually accompanied an ambush was hardly noticed, this time. It had never really left his system since his confrontation with Raph, and he was already itching for a fight.

In one smooth motion, Leonardo turned and pulled his katana from their sheaths, the scrape of metal cutting through the silence of the night. "Foot clan?" he scoffed, eyeing his attackers. "You guys just made my night." The ninja were easily dispatched. Leo ducked, blocked, punched, and kicked, and with a half dozen moves, all four Foot soldiers were down for the count. "Ahh. I feel so much better," he remarked with a smirk. But before he finished the sentence, a noise from the top of the billboard drew his attention. He looked up, expecting to find more Foot. What he saw did not disappoint.

This was definitely a Foot soldier, but unlike any he had encountered before. She wore a mask that only covered her face from beneath her eyes to her jaw line. All of the other Foot Leo had fought had their heads covered. Most of her was hidden in shadow, but he could see she was crouched on the billboard, studying him like a panther in a tree watching her prey. Leo tightened his grip on his katana, and tensed himself, ready for what he felt would be an imminent attack.

She leapt gracefully from the huge sign, somersaulted in the air, and landed on her tabi and zori-clad feet. He didn't have long to look, but in the light of the billboard, he could now see she wore a thin metal breastplate (not dissimilar to Shredder's, he observed), as well as light armor on her shoulders, forearms, outer thighs, and shins. The fabric beneath the metal was black; the sash at her waist, a deep shade of plum.

"Not bad," she said, her voice smooth as silk. Leo's eyes widened to the size of saucers. That was the last thing he had expected to hear, if anything. "Uh, thanks…?" came his puzzled reply. "You might actually be a challenge," she added smugly. He narrowed his eyes.

 _Cat-like indeed,_ Leo thought, as she sauntered toward him with feline grace. Her form was slender, yet springy. Leo knew that what a warrior lacked in strength could be made up for in speed, and he stood poised for her to strike.

Instead, she stopped a few yards from him, and shifted her balance from one foot to the other. Leo stiffened as he watched her, determined to be ready for her attack. Their eyes locked, and for a breathless moment, the world seemed to stop turning. It was the calm before the storm, that fraction of a second that seems to stretch on endlessly while two warriors regard each other and await the coming onslaught.

The kunoichi moved so quickly, Leonardo scarcely had time to react. She grasped and swung her blade at him suddenly, but with so much distance between them, he knew her blade would never make contact with his. What he didn't foresee was the blinding powder she flung at him. The cloud engulfed Leo, stinging his eyes and throat, and forcing him to blink and cough. In those few moments, he watched, vision blurred, as she closed the space between them and kneed him in the chest so hard his katana were flung from his hands. He landed on his shell, her foot immediately on his plastron, her blade at his throat. "Guess not," she teased.

Leo glared up at her. This was NOT what he had been in the mood for. The mysterious girl reached up to her face mask and pulled it free. Her cherry-red lips curled into a smile. "My name's Karai," she said simply, watching as his eyes grew large with surprise. He muttered, "Huh?" as she withdrew her tanto, twirled it, and slid it expertly back into its sheath. "See you around." And with that, she leapt back up to the billboard, flipped over the top, and disappeared into the night.

"What was that?" Leo uttered bewilderedly, staring in the direction she had vanished. _What on earth WAS that all about? She's in the Foot clan, obviously high-ranking, she had me at her mercy; then she introduces herself, let's me go, and leaves? Why would she do that?_ Try as he might, Leo couldn't make sense of the evening's unusual turn of events. This, Karai, whoever she was, must have known from Shredder who Leo was. She shouldn't have let him live. So why did she?

Leo turned away at last, shaking his head in confusion. _See you around, she said. Maybe if I see her again, I'll get some more answers._ He picked up and sheathed his katana; leaping from the rooftop, he began making his way for his home in the sewers. At least that kunoichi had done one useful thing to make up for blinding, choking, and humiliating him: she had driven Raphael completely from Leo's mind. And, at least for the moment, pondering the beautiful, yet strange, young woman he'd met that night was a welcome distraction.


	2. Alley Encounter

**TMNT – New Girl in Town – Chapter 2 – Alley Encounter**

 **As always, helpful feedback welcomed and appreciated! :)**

 **...**

*SMOOOOOOOOCH!*

"We shouldn't be together, Ryan. It's against your fleet protocol!" She said breathlessly, lifting her blue hand to Captain Ryan's face. "Well, Celestial, you don't get to be captain of the _Dauntless_ by…following all the rules." He arched an eyebrow, and grinned devilishly at the alien beauty. Suddenly, she pulled a blaster on him, her eyes narrowing dangerously, her voice now sharp with malice. "Good! Then you won't mind giving me the codes!"

"Celestial, you just broke my heart," Captain Ryan pouted. But that didn't stop him from activating a weapon with the press of a button. "Ahhhh…!" There was a flash of light; she gasped, and vanished. "But my disintegrator still works!" All that was left of her was a pair of blue and white boots on the floor. Captain Ryan stooped to pick them up, and straightening, held them to his chest. "At least I'll have these," he said mournfully, "to remember her by."

"Boy. Relationships are complicated." Leonardo was sitting on the floor of the lair's living quarters in front of the TV, looking more like a schoolboy watching Saturday morning cartoons than a skilled ninja. After another little confrontation with Raph when he returned to the lair, he had rinsed his eyes with cool water until the redness that had plagued him the entire way home was gone. The memory of the kunoichi who had been the source of his pain still lingered, though. He switched off the volume as Splinter approached him from behind. "Leonardo, where are your brothers?"

"I have no idea."

"What do you mean, you have no idea?"

"Raph thinks he can lead the team better than me, so I let him," Leo answered over his shoulder. "That is not your decision to make." The ninja turned to face his master while rising to his feet. "Why not, Sensei? I've had to make every other decision, and I'm tired of it. Those guys have no idea what kind of pressure I'm under, and all they do is complain. I-Is it too much to ask for a simple 'thank-you'?" Splinter's eyes narrowed as his right hand tightened its grip on the top of his jade staff. He slammed it on the floor. "Of course it is!"

Leo was taken aback. "Leadership is not about being appreciated," Splinter continued sternly. "It is about responsibility. It doesn't matter that the burden is heavy. It matters that you carry it! … Now go find your brothers." As his eldest son geared up and left the lair, Splinter watched him closely. He knew that Leo had the makings of a great leader – maybe even the best. He had to learn now that it would never be easy, and he might never be thanked. But he was strong enough to carry the weight of leadership, and therefore, he must.

Leo grumbled to himself as he trudged down a graffiti-lined alleyway, now far from the lair. "What if I don't want the burden?" He sighed. "Where are those guys? Donnie said something about forty-seventh and, uh…"

"Do you always talk to yourself?" a honeyed voice interrupted his thoughts.

Leo's back straightened with surprise, but by the time he turned around to face the mysterious young woman, he only wore a slight grin. "Sometimes I'm the only one who'll listen," he shrugged. _There's something strange about her_ , Leo thought. _She's a kunoichi in the Foot clan, yet I don't get the feeling that she means me any harm at all._

"I'll listen…" Karai grasped the hilt of her tanto, "When you beg for your life." She pulled it free.

Leo unsheathed one of his katana and held it ready in his right hand. "Let's see how well you do against someone who can see," he challenged.

"Let's see how well you do against someone who's better than you," she retorted haughtily.

"Well, let's see how well YOU do, against…..well….Let's just go!" Leo was growing impatient with this banter (mainly due to his lack of a good comeback). The ninja and kunoichi faced each other, eyes locked, hands adjusting their grip, feet planted and stances ready. Whether they realized it or not, they mirrored each other in a way that was quite uncanny.

Karai made the first move, lunging at him through the air to aim a blow at his face. He easily blocked her tanto with his katana. She flipped over Leo's head to strike at his back, but he followed her movements with a keen eye and was ready to block before striking quickly in turn. "Juji ken," Leo remarked during a pause in their fight. "Interesting." They exchanged more blows before Karai back-flipped away from Leo and faced him, resting her hand on her hip. "Kocho giri," she scoffed. "Predictable."

They lunged at one another, and each studied the other for a few moments over their crossed blades while the clash of steel on steel rang and echoed through the alley. After several more attacks and blocks, Karai again flipped back from Leo before smiling at him, "You're good. No wonder we haven't wiped you out yet." Leo seemed unaffected by this backhanded compliment in her eyes, but inside, he felt a jolt of excitement at her comment. She was obviously skilled – she handled her weapons (both blade and body) masterfully. It meant more coming from one whose abilities so closely matched his.

"It's not like Shredder hasn't been trying," Leo quipped back. "I know, it's all he ever talks about," Karai said playfully. "Revenge, revenge. Vendetta, Vendetta." Leo felt a tinge of hope – hope for what exactly, he couldn't be sure – but hope that despite being in the Foot Clan, she actually had a sense of decency and honor that led her away from Shredder's determined path of revenge. "Really? I take it you don't approve." "No, I'm fine with it," she replied casually. "I'm just saying – he needs a hobby."

Karai stepped up her game without warning. _Apparently playtime is over. Now she's fighting to win_. Before Leo had a chance to respond in kind, she had landed a kick to his side, forcing him to slide sideways and block the attack that immediately followed. She hooked one foot under his leg and pulled in an effort to yank his legs out from under him, but he used the momentum to roll to his feet around her. No sooner had he regained his footing than she aimed a round kick to his face. This time, she hit her mark. He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of one hand and grimaced at her. She grinned at him over her shoulder, and turned to face him. "Not bad….but I've seen better." "Heh. With one blade, maybe," he smirked in reply, pulling his second katana from its sheath. "Not with two." Karai smiled appreciatively at his confidence.

They lunged at each other once more. The ring and scrape of metal, the grunts of exertion, and the footfalls of their battle continued on into the night. Neither seemed to tire of it; it was refreshing to have someone of equal skill to fight. Both recognized in the other a warrior highly dedicated to their art. His form was perfect; her execution, flawless. And where Leo outmatched her in raw strength, she closed the gap between them with incredible agility. She made flipping over his head, or leaping up onto a fire escape landing seem effortless. This did not go unnoticed by Leo, who knew that for her to be so nimble and athletic, for such a slender, human, young woman, was quite impressive.

And though Leonardo knew this was supposed to be a serious fight – a death match, if you will – he couldn't help feeling like she was just toying with him. He knew the difference between a blow that was meant to find its mark - intended to let nothing stop it from sinking into flesh and doing serious, if not fatal, damage - and a strike that, while strong, fell short of being deadly. _She's got me alone here, again,_ Leo thought as they battled. _If she were really trying to kill me, this would feel VERY different._ Splinter had often told the turtles that they needed to be able to sense the intentions of their enemies. And Karai? Well….no matter how many times she swung her blade at him, she just didn't _feel_ like an enemy. Not to Leo.

First Karai, then Leo, leaped up onto the fire escape above them. They faced each other, looking through the metal steps and bars that momentarily prevented their duel. He decided to confront her with his musings. "You know what? I don't think you're as bad as you pretend to be." Hitherto they had been playful with one another, but this time, his expression and tone were serious. "Oh?" she replied. "What part of swinging a sword at your head do you not understand?" He sniggered. "On the rooftop? You could have finished me, but you didn't." She smiled at him. "Because, you're the first thing in this city that doesn't bore me." As soon as the last word left her lips, she pulled a trio of throwing stars from a hidden pouch and flung them at Leo's head. He raised his katana to block them, but while he did, she grasped the steps and swung herself around to his side of the platform, aiming a kick to his shoulder.

"Besides, I don't think you're as good as you pretend to be." She grabbed his right arm with her left hand, and moved her tanto toward his throat. His katana blocked, but she moved behind him and held her blade with both hands beneath his chin. From there, she could look down into his face, and speak into his ear. "Don't tell me the goody three-toes thing doesn't wear thin after a while." His shoulder was held fast between her arms and breastplate, his entire shell pressed back against her. "Better than the alternative," he grunted. "Which is what?" Karai's breath whispered across his cheek, her voice humming into his ear. "To have fun? To cut loose? To live your own life?" With one last glare at the blade at his throat, he tightened his grip on his sword hilt, and slammed his elbow back into her chest, knocking her into the side of the building and forcing a grunt from her. The point of his blade was now held under her throat. She looked down at it, then back to him, and smirked. "Guess I struck a nerve."

Leo scoffed. "Because I beat you?" He blinked, and she was suddenly upon him. Literally. Her hand upon his plastron, she jumped and lifted herself until her knees were level with his shoulders. In a split second, her tanto was pointed inches from his face. His eyes were wide with shock. It seemed neither of them was as easy to corner as the other supposed. Just as quickly as she had closed the distance between them, she backed away, and smiled at him slyly, as if to say, _who's beaten now?_

She pointed over her left shoulder with her sword. "You see that high rise?" Leo looked at the sky scraper she indicated. "Yeah," he answered warily. "Meet me there at midnight." She sheathed her blade and jumped onto the handrail in a crouch. "Why?"

"I wanna show you something." She smiled, and with that, she was gone.

 _What is going ON?!_ Leo stared after her. He had always heard women were complicated, but this girl…. He had an inexplicable feeling that he could trust her, and no good reason his head could think of to feel that way. This was turning out to be one crazy night.


	3. Frenemies

**Author note: I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read, and especially the reviews! They've been very encouraging, to a new fanfic writer like me. :) As always, helpful advice/feedback is welcome and appreciated! Thanks!**

 **TMNT – New Girl in Town – Chapter 3 – Frenemies**

 **...**

 _Tap! Tap, tap, tap! Tap!_

April stumbled out of bed toward the sound.

 _Tap, tap!_

"April…?" Leo called as loud as he dared through her closed window. She stepped within view and looked at him sleepily. "Leo?" He waved.

"Ugh, this better be good," she said, opening the windows out onto the fire escape.

"I need to talk."

"Can it wait 'til morning?" She sat down near the window and rubbed her eyes.

"I met this girl." Leo said simply, smiling. April gasped and yanked him forward by the shoulders so their noses were only inches apart. "Tell me everything!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, ah, she's really cool…"

April nodded and grinned like a giddy little schoolgirl.

"She's also a martial artist…"

Another girly nod.

"And, uh…." Leo paused, knowing how April might react to this last bit: "She's in the foot clan."

*SMACK!*

He never saw her roll up a magazine, but he felt it across his face.

"Are you _crazy_?!"

"April, she's different!" he tried to explain. "She's…"

"In the Foot Clan!"

"Yeah, but she's…"

"In the _Foot Clan_!"

"Look, I know I shouldn't be hanging out with her…"

"Yeah, you got that right. You know why? _'CAUSE SHE'S IN THE FOOT CLAN!_ "

"April, she's fun! And I'm tired of being the responsible one. When do _**I**_ get to have fun?" Leo said exasperatedly. April sighed. In all the time she had known Leonardo, he had always been obedient; upright; driven. She could understand him wanting to cut loose once in a while, even rebel a little, but that still didn't make hanging out with the enemy a good idea. "So what does she want from you?"

"I don't know. I'm meeting her later at the Byerly Building. She's got something planned…"

"Yeah, like pushing you OFF the Byerly Building! It's a trap, Leo!"

"I don't think so. There's good in her; I _know_ there is. I can feel it," he insisted.

April grasped the window handles, and looked Leo in the eye. "I hope you're right." She shut the windows with a bang. Leo blinked before turning away from the window, bewildered. He stared at nothing, paid no attention to what lay before his eyes. His mind was reeling with the evening's events; Raph; Splinter; the mysterious kunoichi; April's warning and reprimand. Could she be right; was Karai inviting him to walk blindly into a trap? It didn't feel that way to him, but…maybe he just wanted to believe she was good. Karai was skilled, fun, exciting...dangerous…and even if she weren't those things, simply speaking to her was an act of rebellion that felt thrilling tonight. With these thoughts, and others, still running through his head, Leo slipped quietly onto the roof and began slowly making his way for the Byerly Building.

….

Karai couldn't help but smile to herself as she darted from shadow to shadow. The look of confusion on his face when she left him was priceless…and adorable. Yes, in the whole city of New York, nothing had been able to amuse her, until now. He was an odd combination of skill, intelligence, confidence, naiveté, and….turtle? Now she really had seen it all.

At last she arrived at the Shredder's lair; Foot Clan HQ. Karai knew she was expected to report any sightings of Hamato Yoshi's disciples to Shredder immediately. She also knew how furious he would be to learn she'd let one of them go free.

Her bearing showed no timidity; she had mastered hiding her fears some years ago. She entered his "throne room" with graceful ease, her back straight and composure unruffled. No sign of fear, nor betrayal, tainted her expression as she approached Shredder, bowing first with her head before dropping to her knees, right fist on the floor, in a traditional dogeza.

"Karai," Shredder's stern voice filled the room. "I have learned that you had the opportunity to dispatch Leonardo…."

"Really."

"…But you let him go instead."

"That's not true," she protested adamantly, looking him squarely in the eye. "He escaped!" Shredder was incredulous. "I find that hard to believe." Karai smiled mischievously. "He escaped from you, didn't he?" He growled. _**"ENOUGH!"**_

As the word echoed through the cavernous room, Karai's eyes widened with true fear. She dropped her head down in deference and kept her eyes on the floor as she heard Shredder arise from his seat and descend the steps toward her. Would he punish her defiance? How severe would he be? This wouldn't be the first time her sharp tongue got her into serious trouble….

His footsteps stopped before her; if she had looked up at all, his feet would have been in view. Karai felt a shiver of dread travel up her spine at the sound of one of his claw-like blades sliding from its hidden compartment against his forearm toward the blonde back of her head. _Perfect execution posture,_ she thought grimly.

"Next time you see Leonardo, you – must – _finish him!_ " Shredder harshly commanded the fearful kunoichi. "Understood?

Karai raised her head, still looking at the floor. "I understand…Father."

Shredder walked past her. She closed her eyes. She knew what disobedience could mean...even, and especially, for his own kin.


	4. Rooftop Rendezvous

**TMNT – New Girl in Town – Chapter 4 – Rooftop Rendezvous**

 **...**

Karai's footfalls were soft as she paced along the edge of the Byerly Building roof.

 _Maybe he's a no-show_.

She rested her left fist on her hip and paused to look down at the streets far below. _I should've known. He's too straight-laced to want to meet up with…someone like me._ She resumed her pacing. _I know what his master did to my father, my family…me…but Leonardo just isn't the type. He seems so…honorable. Noble, even. Can I…should I…really kill him mercilessly for the actions of his master?_ Although this deliberation continued in her head, she had already made up her mind.

Shredder had always preached vengeance, just like she had told Leo: _Revenge, revenge. Vendetta, vendetta_. It was a broken record that had played through his speech into her mind for as long as she could remember. And she believed him; that the only way to restore their family's honor was to slay the one who had destroyed it. But what did that have to do with Leonardo; one of the finest swordsmen she had ever seen? Should such expertise be so ruthlessly cut down in the path to Hamato Yoshi?

 _I already know the answer: …no. No, he doesn't deserve to die for what his sensei did, all those years ago. Leo probably doesn't even know what happened._

Karai stopped pacing abruptly. "I was beginning to think you were a no-show…" She smiled and turned to face the ninja that had appeared so suddenly and silently behind her. "…But you don't disappoint."

Leo stood near the corner of the roof, arms at his sides. His expression was serious. He might be making a huge mistake meeting her like this, and he still wasn't sure he could trust her. "So, what's this about?" he asked as he stepped along the roof edge closer to Karai. She tossed him a pair of binoculars, then pointed to a window in a nearby building with her right hand. "That."

Leo lifted the binoculars to his eyes and found the window she indicated. What he saw inside took his breath away. "That's the sword of Miyamoto Musashi," he breathed in awe, crouching as he lowered the binoculars. "The greatest swordsman in the history of Japan," Karai confirmed, crouching also. "It's ancient, it's priceless, and it's yours… _if_ you help me." Their eyes met. "Do what…?" Leo asked cautiously. "You know what," she smiled. "We're gonna _steal_ it."

"No, we're not," Leo said firmly. For the first time since Leo had met her some hours before, Karai looked displeased with him. "C'mon, that sword is just sitting there, collecting dust! You _know_ you deserve that katana! Certainly more than some lazy rich guy." Leo looked back to the sword. She really thought _HE_ deserved that katana? That he, Hamato Leonardo, mutant turtle, was worthy of a _master's_ blade?

She stood, and stepped closer to his side. "Stop being responsible, Leo." She crouched beside him, placed her hand warmly on his shell, and looked at him intently. "Stop waiting for people to give you the life you want. Go out, and _take it_." He looked into her amber eyes, then turned his face away and closed his blue ones tightly, trying not to be swayed by words he almost wanted to believe. "N-no."

She frowned down at him while rising to her feet. "I'm getting that sword, Leo. With, or without you. Choose." He stood quickly, facing her. "I can't. It's wrong," he said with certainty. "You're starting to bore me…" Karai warned as she placed her hand on her sword hilt. Before she could draw it, Leonardo's large green hand covered and grasped hers, pulling it from her weapon towards him. She was a few inches taller than him, yet he looked into her face with an intensity she hadn't expected. "Karai, you don't have to do this." She smiled sweetly at him as he spoke. "I know. That's what makes it _FUN_!"

In the time it took her to speak that last word, she swept Leo's legs out from under him, twisted his arm around to spin his body, slammed him down onto his chin, and placed her foot on his shell. She still held his arm twisted backwards, locking him in place. His eyes were wide with surprise; first at being pinned, and then, at…Raph…?

Raphael ran across the roof towards his brother and the strange Foot Clan kunoichi, just in time to see her pin Leo using the hand _he_ had been holding. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Leo! What…? What're you doing?! Who's she?!" Leo tapped the fingers of his free hand nervously on the rooftop. "Um…uh, Raph, Karai…Karai, Raph…" Raph walked closer to them as Karai released Leo's arm, allowing him to stand up. "What are you, _friends_ with her?" he fumed. "We're out there risking our necks, and you're up here holding hands with the Foot!"

"I can explain!" Leo said in earnest, hoping to be given the chance to. "This should be entertaining," Karai remarked bemusedly, crossing her arms over her chest and eagerly awaiting Leo's response. He was trying to think of what would seem to Raphael an acceptable reason for being on that rooftop, alone, with Karai. So focused was he on thinking up a good explanation, in fact, that he didn't notice the yellow spores drifting from Raph's shell into the night air. "You see, Karai and I, uh, share an appreciation for the fine craftsmanship of…"

Leo's voice trailed off. He and Karai watched as a huge, green, mutant head with two long antennae rose behind Raphael. Snakeweed's "tracking spores" had worked. Raph turned to see the monster finish ascending the building, then tower over them with his vines whipping and snapping around him. "I've found you, turtles!" Snakeweed bellowed. Leo looked relieved. At this moment, he'd rather face Snakeweed than his irate brother. "Oh, thank goodness," he breathed while drawing both his katana.

Leo and Raph stood ready, weapons drawn. They both knew Snakeweed was one of their most formidable adversaries, yet there they were, having to face him without the help of two of their brothers. Karai stood behind them and watched for a moment, until Snakeweed lashed out at all three ninja with one of his long tendrils. They jumped and ran, evading his attack. As they did so, Raph swiftly apologized to his big brother: "All's-forgiven-you're-the-leader-again-welcome-back."

The turtles dodged, sliced mutant vines, and hoped that before the parts of Snakeweed they lobbed off grew back they could find an opening for a stronger attack. Leo hesitated – the one thing as a ninja he _KNEW_ he shouldn't do in the middle of a fight - but he couldn't resist a thought that had struck him: _What happened to Karai_? He glanced over at her, and saw her standing out of harm's way with her arms folded and a look of amusement on her face. Their eyes locked on each other for a moment, and each felt like something passed between them – what it was exactly, neither could guess.

In any case, their gaze was broken by a regenerated tendril lashing out and winding itself tightly around Leo's right forearm. He moved to cut himself free, but he was too late. Snakeweed yanked and tossed him so hard and fast that both katana dropped uselessly from Leo's hands. He landed in a heap near the roof's edge, grunting from the force of the impact. Before Leo could stand and regain his weapons, Snakeweed wound a vine around his body, binding his right arm securely to his side. All Leo could do to avoid being pulled into a fatal strike was to grasp the corner of a doorway with his left hand and hang on with all his might.

Leo strained against the ever-tightening pull around his body. His brother would not be able to save him; Raph was dangling by one foot in the air, with one of Snakeweed's two "Venus-flytrap" hands snapping at him from below. Leonardo looked to the kunoichi standing calmly to one side and called in desperation, " _KARAI! … KARAI, PLEASE! … HELP!_ "

For an instant, she didn't move, and for that instant, Leo doubted the goodness he thought he saw in her. This was the perfect opportunity for her to rid the Foot Clan of at least one, if not two, of its sworn enemies, without lifting a finger. With no warning, she drew her tanto, raised it behind her, and threw it at Leo. _Oh, no. She's going to skewer me…_ he thought, squeezing his eyes shut, ducking his head down, and bracing himself for the impale.

But all he heard was a metallic _THUD_ as the blade lodged itself deep into the door above his head. Leo opened his eyes, raised his head, and looked up at the sword. Even if he hadn't ducked, the blade would have missed his head by inches. He blinked at her in shock.

"Sayonara." Karai smiled at Leonardo and dove backwards over the side of the building, out of sight.

Leo didn't have time to dwell on what just happened. He let go of the doorway with his left hand and snatched the tanto as Snakeweed dragged him closer, using the momentum of the monster's pull to spin and cut through the vine as he flew through the air. Leo drove both feet into Snakeweed's face, knocking him back and providing Raph an opportunity to cut himself free. The ninja landed on the rooftop and glanced at each other.

"Raph, follow me! I've got an idea!"

"You're the boss," Raph replied as they ran to one side of the roof.

The two ninja rushed down the side of the building. They both saw a stack of blue, liquid hydrogen canisters, knew what the other was thinking, and ran toward the pile. Snakeweed dropped in front of them when they were just yards away and smacked them both into a wall. "Now what?" Raph asked his brother as they rose to their feet. "We charge him," Leo answered. Raph blinked. "Really?" Leo hadn't been too fond of that idea earlier that night. "Trust me. Let's move," Leo said, just before a giant, fly-trap hand shot between the two turtles and into the wall. Leo and Raph ran towards Snakeweed.

The pair dodged his attacks, steadily moving in closer to strike. Leo managed to land the first blow, jumping high and kicking Snakeweed's visible, throbbing heart as hard as he could. The weed mutant cried out with his grotesque voice, seeming stunned for a few moments. Leo seized the opportunity to run for the canisters.

Meanwhile, Raph used his sai to strike at Snakeweed's legs, vines, anything he could reach. A tentacle he was standing on threw him up into the air, but on the way down, Raph kicked their opponent in the face so hard, purple blood spurted from his mouth onto the pavement. He stumbled back, tripped on the concrete of the loading dock, and sat against the wall; the perfect chance for Leo to get one of the liquid hydrogen canisters into his mouth. He ran toward him, but Snakeweed saw him out of the corner of his eye and knocked him back with a vine into the stack of containers.

The 12-foot mutant got to his feet and came at Leo as he lay in the pile. Raph got to Snakeweed first. He jumped onto his back and fought to keep him from getting to his brother. It wasn't long before he was pulled off by a tentacle and pinned to the ground. Other tendrils shot out to pin Leo, and remove all of the canisters from his reach. All but one. Snakeweed wrapped a vine around Leo's neck and lifted him so they were face-to-face. He failed to notice Leo holding a blue container behind his back. As Snakeweed roared in Leo's face, the ninja shoved the canister into his mouth and kicked it, lodging it in too deep for Snakeweed to remove easily.

"RAPH!" Leo shouted as he fell heavily onto the concrete. "NOW!"

The ninja looked at each other, then their assailant. Raph gritted his teeth, got to his feet, and spun himself twice before releasing his sai to give it extra momentum. The pronged weapon sang as it spun through the air. It punctured the canister, causing an immediate explosion of the super-cold substance, freezing Snakeweed solid in an instant. Raph jumped off the frozen knee high into the air, yelling, "BOOYAKASHA!" as he stabbed through the icy mutant on the way down, shattering him into hundreds of pieces.

Raph landed with bits of frozen weed-flesh about his feet. Leo ran up beside him. "Nice work," Raph grinned over at him. "Thanks," Leo replied, returning the friendly smile. "Good to be back."

"And, uh…" Raph's smile faded as he looked down at the pavement and mumbled, "Sorry." His eyes cut over to his brother.

Leo held a hand up to his ear. "What did you say? I couldn't hear," he said playfully. Raph sighed. "I said, I'm _**SORRY**_!" he shouted into Leo's ear at the top of his lungs. Leo almost fell over from the volume, and shock. "Ugh. Apology accepted," Leo said while clapping one hand over his ear. If the fight hadn't given him a headache, Raph's apology sure had. The pair turned from the scene of the battle and began walking home in a comfortable silence. Neither noticed the mutated heart on the pavement, as it thawed, and then…thumped.

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **Author's note:** Thank you all SO MUCH for reading! It means so much to a brand new fanfic writer like me. :) I know this chapter ends rather abruptly, but I wanted to go ahead and post it since it was already so long, and I didn't want to keep anyone waiting (any longer). The next chapter will probably be pretty short, but it will include Raph and Leo's short discussion of what happened when they get back to the lair, and some insight into the thoughts and feelings of Leonardo and Karai as they reflect on the events of the night. They're my favorite characters, and they're both so complex, I just love getting into their heads and fleshing out everything that is skimmed over so quickly in the show. Anyway. Thanks again for reading! :D


	5. First Impressions

**TMNT – New Girl in Town – Chapter 5 – First Impressions**

 **...**

 **Thanks for reading! Feedback welcomed!**

 **...**

"Mmmmmmm. Pepperoni."

Mikey inhaled the scent of steaming hot pizza, opened his eyes, and sat up, reaching for the slice. "Works every time," Leo grinned. "Mikey!" Raph grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him as he exclaimed in his face, "Don't scare me like that, Buddy, I thought we lost you!" The toughest of the bunch pulled his younger brother into a hug. He'd never admit it, but Raphael could be such a softy sometimes – when it came to his family. As they were heading home, he had filled Leo in on the details of their fight in Snakeweed's hideout, ending with Mikey not waking up. They were all relieved now to see him alert and acting normally.

"Dudes, I had the weirdest dream… I dreamt the stuff in the sewer was made out of…"

"Eh, forget about it! It was…just a dream…" Donatello held a finger to his lips. No need to remind Mikey of their earlier conversation about the contents of the sewage being full of…

"Oooh…" Mikey took a bite of the pizza and closed his eyes, smiling. His brothers were all there, Raph and Leo were getting along (for the moment), and he had only dreamed up what Donnie had told him about the sewers. All was right with his world again.

Seeing that Mikey was okay, Raph grabbed Leo by the arm and pulled him a few yards away from the others. He still needed some answers. Turning to face him, he asked, "So what's with the girl who tried to kill you?"

"She didn't try to kill me, Raph, she saved me!" Leo couldn't help but grin.

"She threw a knife at your head."

"She threw a knife _near_ my head." Leo pulled out her tanto and held it a few inches from the side of his head; about the same distance it had landed above him on the roof. Raph crossed his arms, dubious. "She's in the Foot Clan." Leo patted his brother on the shoulder and smiled. "Nobody's perfect."

"Ugh," Raph said in annoyance, watching his brother walk away. With his back to the rest of them, Leo looked down at the tanto and smiled as he made his way to his bedroom. His mind was filled with her face, her eyes. Every time he looked at that blade, visions of Karai swam in his head.

 _I WAS right about her. I KNOW there is some good in her. If she were as ruthless as Shredder, I wouldn't be alive right now._ The tanto hilt was wrapped with crimson chord; it reminded him of the red, leather-wrapped hilts of his own katana. _And her lips_. He shook his head. _That's going a bit too far, Leo_ , he said to himself, reigning his thoughts in. _You only met her tonight. And whether she is good or not, she's playing for the wrong team. …At least, for now._

He lifted the mattress of his bed and laid the tanto beneath it. Raph would think it was stupid to hold onto it; might even throw it away if he ever found it. Donnie and Mikey didn't need to know about it. But for better or worse, Leo wanted to keep it, and always remember this night. Whatever happened in the future between them, this had at least been a good night – the night he met her, and the night she saved him with this sword.

As Leo lowered the mattress, his imagination began to run wild. Maybe someday, she'd leave the Shredder. She'd realize there were things he'd want her to do that her conscience would not allow, and she'd refuse. _Perhaps someday,_ Leo thought as he lay back on his bed, his hands behind his head, _we can fight on the same side_.

…

Karai watched from the shadows as Leo and Raph walked away from what was left of Snakeweed. _They ARE good_. She could have followed them; traced them to wherever their hideout was – Shredder would love that – but she wanted time to herself. To think.

The kunoichi began leaping nimbly from building to building, keeping out of sight of the streets below. The city that never slept wasn't much of a challenge for her; after all, Karai grew up in Tokyo. She saw her target: a large, Boboco Cola billboard on a rooftop ahead.

She landed beneath the huge sign in a silent crouch. Rising slowly, Karai could envision the events that occurred there just hours before. The first time she saw _him_. He was a ninja unlike any other. She had watched as he took out the 4 foot soldiers in her patrol without breaking a sweat. For the first time in a long time, she wondered if he was an equal match for her skill. She didn't even see the green. All she saw was a powerful warrior. One she'd like to have on her team.

Karai sat beneath the billboard and hugged her knees to her chest. _I wish...I wish things had gone differently tonight._ She stared at the rooftop, not focusing on what lay before her. She was replaying the evening in her mind. After she watched him take out her patrol, her mind began reeling: _Maybe I don't have to be alone anymore._ It wasn't a romantic attachment she longed for. _Maybe...we could be friends_.

Her thoughts continued to stray. _I'm so tired of my father's...blackness. Revenge is all he lives for. What kind of a life is that?!_ She rested her chin on her forearms. When she fought Leo in the alleyway, and really had a chance to see what a first-class warrior he was, a plan had sprung to her mind. A test, of sorts. _To see if he could ever be on my side._

 _He's such a goody three-toes_ , she thought to herself with a bitter smile. _I could never be as virtuous as Leo is. Not after being raised by my father, the Shredder. But I was hoping, maybe Leo could meet me halfway. Maybe we could live, and fight, together – not in the darkness of Shredder's heart, nor the purity of Leo's, but in the gray shadows. We could make our own rules; live according to our own code. Do whatever we wanted. Be our OWN team. Reject both sides, and make our own._

That's when the idea came to her. _I know he'd never kill an innocent, the way Shredder would – the way he wants ME to – but maybe Leo would bend the rules a bit...if it was for something he REALLY wanted._ What could tempt a skilled swordsman like Leo more than the katana of the greatest sword-master in the history of Japan? If he would help her get it, he could _have_ it, for all she cared. What Karai wanted even more than a master's blade was a friend – one she could trust with her life.

Karai lifted her head and sighed, looking up at the night sky. No stars were visible with all of the light pollution of New York City, but she still loved it. _The vast darkness feels like home – like I could drift into it forever_. She frowned at just how true that thought was. _Pathetic_. Unlike her father, she longed to live for something more than revenge. If they succeeded, found Splinter and killed him, then what? What would they have left? Peace? _I doubt it_.

When Leo refused to help her get Miyamoto Musashi's sword, she knew that nothing would tempt him. He walked too far in the light for her to follow him, and he wouldn't leave it to walk in the shadows with her. She felt alone. _Again_.

Karai rose to her feet and dusted off her leggings. _The way he looked at me, though...It's like he was hoping I would join him. Be on HIS side_. She shook her head. _That's never going to happen. But it's nice to know – he was hoping we could be friends, too._ She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. _I don't know how it could ever be possible, but maybe someday, we COULD trust each other. Have each others' back. Be friends._

She replaced the metal face-guard over her mouth and nose. _I'm still Shredder's daughter._ She steeled her thoughts. _I still have a mission._ Her eyes began to water against her will as she leaped off the roof. _One I hope I never have to complete._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

Well, this concludes "New Girl in Town"! The next episode Karai appears in is "The Alien Agenda", so that'll be the next "mini-series", if you will. I'm REALLY looking forward to writing it! Thanks again for reading! I hope you love Leo and Karai as much as I do; aren't they AWESOME characters? So much complexity between them. Anyway, until next time! :)


End file.
